Don’t Condemn Yourself for Not Eating Healthy

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By Wes Annac, Culture of Awareness

It’s no secret that if we want to be healthy, we have to eat healthy. The popular saying “you are what you eat” communicates an obvious truth, and depending on where we live, we can probably find healthy food.

We all know that a healthy eating habit usually results in a healthier body and a healthier outlook on life, but lately, I’m starting to think that the issue isn’t so black and white. Staying healthy requires a fair amount of discipline and diligence in our modern society, because most of our food is designed to keep us in poor states of health.

To avoid all of the bad food out there, we have to cut ourselves off from almost everything we were used to eating, which isn’t impossible but is hard for some people. If you can pull it off, then by all means, do.

But other people, especially those who are used to eating a certain way, might have a harder time with it. They might make every effort to eat healthy once they realize how important it is, but they’ll still fall into old habits now and then. And there are also people who aren’t concerned with their health, which, again, is their choice.

We shouldn’t judge them for it or cast them away, because they’ve chosen a path that works for them at this phase in their growth. The issue doesn’t just apply to other people, and we can’t judge ourselves when we make health choices that aren’t in our best interest either.

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We have to cut ourselves some slack, and while discipline is important and helpful when it comes to food, we don’t achieve anything by punishing ourselves with guilt.

There will be times when we’re around food or something else appetizing and unhealthy, and we might want to indulge. Should we give in to the impulse, the last thing we really want to do is send ourselves on a contradictory guilt trip afterward – mainly because nothing productive will come from it.

In the same way that we shouldn’t judge others for their food choices, we can’t make ourselves feel low if we fail to live up to our own expectations. This doesn’t mean we can’t be somewhat strict, but it doesn’t help to feel bad about a decision we already willingly made.

In some cases, food related guilt can be an escape that conveniently prevents us from taking responsibility for our choices, because we use it to revert back into the health conscious personality so many people strive to embody.

We suddenly return to the conscious person we wanted to be, and we might chastise the ‘us’ from a few minutes ago for making a choice we think is bad.

When we do this, we separate ourselves from that part of us that’ll constantly indulge if we don’t keep it in check, and even though we were the ones that made the decision, we use guilt to put ourselves above that choice instead of showing ourselves some understanding or getting to the root of the issue.

This seems like an attempt to elude that indulgent part of our personality, and instead of chastising it or putting ourselves above it, we can take responsibility for it and understand our health choices in a new light.

When we take full responsibility for our actions, there is no judgment against that part of us or that part of anyone else. We recognize that our impulsive indulgence is birthed from something deeper that lives within, and instead of distancing ourselves from it, we try to understand it.

Once we truly understand it, we can take steps to diminish its hold over us. Maybe, just maybe, we can eventually release it, and then, we’ll no longer feel the impulses and we can forge ahead with new health choices. Most importantly, we’ll no longer judge or condemn people for their eating habits.

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Any imperfection in someone else that bothers us is usually a reflection of our own imperfections, and when we form a true relationship with ourselves, which allows us to understand and do away with any habits, tendencies or impulses that hold us back, we’ll no longer be interested in telling others how they should live their lives.

Why? Because we’ll recognize that they’re on their own path, and when they’re ready, they’ll look deep within to understand and heal any indulgent impulses they have left.

Growing closer with the Self will free us from the apparent need to dictate how life or spiritual evolution should be for others, and we’ll be so content traveling our path that we won’t have the time, energy or willingness to concern ourselves with what everyone else is doing.

If we see someone eating a big greasy cheeseburger, we’ll register that image and move on. We won’t think anything negative or judgmental, because we’ll understand the desire and we’ll feel nothing but neutral contentment toward them.

Whether we agree with their choices or not, those choices are assisting their evolution in one way or another. This life is about growing and learning, and none of these things would be here if they didn’t help us grow somehow.

Personally, I’m still learning to eat healthy.

I stopped eating meat a couple years ago and I’ve never looked back, but my habits don’t tend to reflect a healthy lifestyle. It took me twenty years just to warm up to simple veggies like carrots, lettuce or green beans, which I never touched as a kid, and I’m taking the journey into a healthier life one step at a time.

Ever since I discovered the benefits of healthy eating, I’ve been trying to make more conscious health choices and I’ve been inspired to write about it along the way. I’m still at the beginning of this journey, and I still tend to fall away from the path.

I’ve learned that mistakes are necessary along this path (and any other), and instead of judging ourselves or others for any mistakes that are made, we can recognize that if we learn from them, mistakes can be stepping stones to lasting success.

So let’s bring an end to all the petty judgment and condemnation, and let’s focus on walking our own path before we judge the paths other people are walking. We’re here to serve, not judge, so let’s go about our work with more peace, contentment and joy for our existence on this planet at this amazing time.

People will awaken when they’re ready, and for now, holding the space with self-respect and peaceful contentment toward others will help us understand and transcend the things that hold us back.

Share freely.

I’m a twenty-one year old spiritual writer, blogger and channel for the creative expression of the inner universe, and I created The Culture of Awareness daily news site.

The Culture of Awareness features daily spiritual and alternative news, articles I’ve written, and more. Its purpose is to awaken and uplift by providing material about the fall of the planetary elite and a new paradigm of unity and spirituality.